Born in Lisbon where she completed a BSc in Applied Chemistry (Organic Chemistry) at the Universidade Nova de Lisboa in 1996. After graduating from the MSc in Conservation Science at the DeMontfort University she went on to study the degradation of natural yellow textile dyes for a PhD in Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh in collaboration with the National Museums of Scotland.
In 2003 joined the Molecular Paintings Studies group in AMOLF-FOM Institut for Atomic and Molecular Physics, in Amsterdam, the Netherlands as a postdoctoral researcher involved in the study of binding media chemistry using different analytical microscopy and mass spectrometric techniques.

In August 2006 has joined the Kunsttechnologie Department at the Swiss Institute for Art Research (SIK-ISEA) as Head of the Analytical Research Laboratory.

• Ferreira E.S.B, Boon J.J., Marone F., Stampanoni M. (2011) Study of the mechanism of formation of calcium soaps in an early 20th century easel painting with correlative 2D and 3D microscopy. Proceedings 16th Triennal meeting of the ICOM Committee for Conservation, Lisbon, September 2011 James&James Publisher. 
   
• Zumbühl, Stefan, Ferreira, Ester S.B., Scherrer, Nadim C., Schaible, Volker. The non-ideal Action of Binary Solvent Mixtures to Oil and Alkyd Paint - Influence of the Selective Solvation and the Cavitation Energy. Proceedings of Cleaning 2010, New insights into the cleaning of paintings, May 26th to 28th 2010, Valencia, Spain. 
   
• Boon J.J., OberthalerE. , Ferreira E.S.B., Marone F. and Stampanoni M., X-ray tomographic microscopic studies of a resin embedded paint sample from a mechanical failing area in floor tiles of The Art of Painting by Johannes Vermeer (1632-1675), Microscopy and Microanalysis 16, 1872-1873 (2010). 
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., BoonJ.J., van der Horst J, Scherrer N.C., Marone F., Stampanoni M., (2009) 3D Synchrotron x-ray microtomography of paint samples. In O3A: Optics for Arts, Architecture, and Archaeology II, edited by Luca Pezzati, Renzo Salimbeni,Proc. of SPIE Vol. 7391, 73910L • © 2009 SPIE •doi: 10.1117/12.827511 
   
• Ferreira, ESB, Heeren, RMA, van den Berg, KJ, Maines, C, Sutherland, K, Higgitt, C. (2009) Mass Spectrometry of Art and Cultural Heritage International Journal of Mass Spectrometry SN 1387-3806 2009 284 IS 1-3 SI Sp.1. DI 10.1016/j.ijms.2009.04.006 
   
• McNab H., Ferreira E.S.B., Hulme A.N. and Quye A. (2009) Negative ion ESI–MS analysis of natural yellow dye flavonoids—An isotopic labelling study. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, SN 1387-3806 PD JUL 1 PY 2009 VL 284 IS 1-3 SI Sp. Iss. SI 57-65 
   
• van den Brink O., Ferreira E.S.B., van der Horst J. and Boon J. J. (2009) A direct temperature-resolved tandem mass spectrometry study of cholesterol oxidation products in light aged egg tempera paints with examples from works of art. International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, SN 1387-3806 PD JUL 1 PY 2009 VL 284 IS 1-3 SI Sp. Iss. SI 12-21 DI 10.1016/j.ijms.2008.11.005 
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., Morrison R. and Boon J. J. (2008) Imaging Chemical Characterisation of preparatory layers in fifteenth and sixteenth-century north European panel paintings in Preparation for painting The Artist’s Choice and its consequences. Towsend J, Doherty T, Heydenreich G, Ridge J (Eds) Archetype Publications. pp50-58
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., Morrison R., Keune K., Boon J.J. (2006). Chemical characterisation of thin intermediate layers: case study of a sample from the 15th century painting The Descent from the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden. In: Reporting highlights of the De Mayerne Programme: Jaap J. Boon and Ester S.B. Ferreira (Eds) The Hague: NWO, 2006.pp. 53-62. http://www.nwo.nl/nwohome.nsf/pages/NWOP_5ZQFK5 
   
• Van Loon A. , Speleers L., Ferreira E.S.B., Keune K., Boon J. J., «The relationship between the degree of preservation and painting technique in the Oranjezaal ensemble , Huis ten Bosch Palace (The Hague)», in: Ashok Roy und Perry Smith (Hrsg.), The Object in Context. Crossing Conservation Boundaries. Contributions to the Munich Congress, International Institute for Conservation (IIC): London, 2006, S. 217–223
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., J. vd Horst, J.J. Boon, Chemical aspects of binding media of the Oranjezaal ensemble, an insight into 17 th century Netherlandish materials and methods , Preprints of the 14 the triennial meeting of the ICOM committee for conservation, den Haag, Bridgland J (Ed.) James and James (publishers), London, 2005, 774–782
   
• K. Keune, E.S.B. Ferreira, J.J. Boon, Characterisation and Localisation of oil binding media components in paint cross section using imaging secondary ion mass spectrometry , Preprints of the 14 th triennial meeting of the ICOM committee for conservation, den Haag, Bridgland J (Ed.) James and James (publishers), London, 2005, 796–802
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., K. Keune, J.J. Boon, Combine Microscopic Analytical Techniques as Diagnostic Tools in the Study of Paint cross sections: Case study of a sample from a 15 th century painting. The Descent form the Cross by Rogier van der Weyden , Proceedings of the 4 th biennal meeting of the IPCR (Instituto Português de Conservação e Restauro), Lisbon , November, 2005
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., Hulme A.N., McNab H., Quye A., The Natural Constituents of Historical Textile Dyes , Chemical Society Reviews, 2004, 33, 329–336
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., Hulme A.N., McNab H., Quye A., LC-Ion Trap and PDA-HPLC – Complementray Techniques in the Analysis of flavonoid Dyes in Historic Textiles. The Case Study of an 18 th century Herald's Tabard , Dyes in History and Archaeology, Post prints of the 19th Annual meeting, Edinburgh, published 2002, 19, 13–18
   
• Ferreira E.S.B., Hulme A.N., McNab H., Quye A., Photo-oxidation products of Quercetin and Morin as Markers for the Characterisation of Natural Flavonoid Dyes in Ancient Textiles, Dyes in History and Archaeology, Post prints of the 18th Annual meeting published 2002, 18, 63–72